Hydrophobia
by GrnEydDvl
Summary: Kurosaki Karin has a fear. Yes, we all thought that she wasn't afraid of anything, but we forgot about those irrational fears that plague each and every one of us for no apparent reason. Can Hitsugaya Toushiro help her overcome it? A HitsuKarin oneshot.


**This story was written at the request of Chance O'Neal in honor of him being the 100****th**** reviewer for "Winning her Over." I hope you enjoy it!**

"Come on Karin!" her friends pleaded. "It'll be fun!

"No!" she stated soundly. "No way!"

"What's wrong with going swimming?" one boy asked. "It's hot out."

"That river is disgusting!" Karin spat. "If you think I'm going into that polluted waste dump, you've got another thing coming." Her fellow soccer buddies exchanged confused looks. Since when did Karin care about getting dirty? Just last week, they had snuck into the town dump itself looking for a lost soccer ball. But Karin wouldn't budge.

"Besides, I've got other stuff to do today," she added vaguely. "I'll see you later." They shrugged.

"Suit yourself," they said, heading off in the opposite direction. Karin watched them disappear with a forlorn look on her face. She sighed deeply.

"What's wrong with me?" she chastised herself. "Why can't I get over this?!" Karin would never admit it to anyone, but she had an utterly unusual and irrational fear of water. Oh, it was fine to drink, and she was ok with taking a bath, but that was where she drew the line. No canoeing, no fishing, and _definitely_ no swimming. Although Karin would rather die than share this fear with anyone. So far, she had managed to hide it rather well, owing mainly to the fact that Karakura didn't have a public swimming pool. But today, one of her friends had had this fantastic idea of swimming in the river, and nothing she said could dissuade them. Not that she disliked the idea. She actually thought it sounded rather fun. But nothing on this earth could possibly be compelling enough to make her get in that water. Nothing.

Karin sat beside the bridge, watching the sun as it set lower in the sky, sending out rays of blood red and bright orange that reflected dazzlingly in the gentle flow of the river. The brilliant sunset made her think of her new friend, Hitsugaya Toushiro, since he always loved watching it. She had only met him a week ago, but somehow, she already felt incredibly close to him. It was as if she understood him, despite his aloof nature and icy personality, and he understood her. She hadn't seen him since their soccer game a few days ago, but she had thought about him a lot; much more than was usual for such a new companion.

"I wonder when I'll see him again?" she thought to herself, leaning back in the grass to gaze at the sky. She closed her eyes, basking in the warm summer twilight, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

oooooooooooooooo

Karin woke with a start several hours later and it took her a few moments to recognize her surroundings.

"Oh that's right," she reminded herself. "I'm at the river. I must have fallen asleep." Night had truly fallen. Diamond stars studded the inky black heavens above her and a thin, crescent moon cast eerie shadows on the surrounding foliage. Karin rubbed her eyes and sat up, searching for the commotion that had caused her to awaken so abruptly.

The first thing she noticed was the temperature. When she had fallen asleep it had been pleasantly warm and humid, but now it was cool and crisp, and Karin hugged her knees for warmth. The second thing she noticed was a black and white bundle settled not too far away from her at the river's edge. And the third thing she noticed was a pale glow emanating from the depths of the river. As she watched, the glow became brighter and brighter and Karin inched closer to the water to get a better view of the strange phenomenon. As she watched, the glow became more intense. She had a split second view of two sharp red rubies before an enormous dragon composed of pure ice erupted from the depths.

Now, most people would shriek and cry and probably wet themselves at the sight of a long, snakelike dragon emerging like a sea creature from an innocent river, but, while Karin was admittedly startled, she was more interested in the creature than afraid. The dragon continued its assent into the sky, before rapidly changing directions and plunging back into the abyss. Karin waited with baited breath and the dragon didn't disappoint her. Less than a minute later, it appeared again, this time accompanied by a small figure, who was directing its movements with a combination of his hands and a long sword.

Karin looked more closely at the dragon's master and saw that it was a small boy, dressed in nothing but a loin cloth and framed by a mane of white hair.

"Toushiro!" Karin cried, and Hitsugaya turned to face her. The dragon paused and hung suspended in midair as Hitsugaya diverted his attention away from it and towards the girl on the riverbank.

"I was wondering when you would wake up," he said, coming over to her. His hair was sopping wet and clung like icicles to his face and neck. As his chest was bare, his rippling muscles were apparent, heighted by the fact that they were dotted with water which glowed in the light from the dragon. Karin flushed a deep shade of red and was exceedingly grateful that it was so dark.

"What are you doing?" she asked casually, trying to look at his face and hide her blush at the same time.

"Water training," he replied, indicating the dragon above him. "Hyourinmaru is an ice based zanpakto. He depends on water for his power, so it strengthens his abilities if I train with him underwater." Karin nodded her understanding. She looked up at the foreboding dragon, who appeared to be studying her intently, and returned the gaze with one of awe and respect.

"Hyourinmaru's taken a liking to you," Hitsugaya said, breaking Karin out of her observation of the dragon.

"What?" she asked startled. "How do you know?"

"He told me," Hitsugaya replied calmly. "We can communicate telepathically."

"Wow," Karin marveled. She looked back up at the dragon long enough to miss the subtle blush that appeared in Hitsugaya's cheeks.

"_Shut up Hyourinmaru, I don't think of her that way!"_

_"Oh really?"_

Hitsugaya scoffed. Sometimes, the dragon could read his thoughts better than he could.

"Would you like to train with me?" Hitsugaya offered, and Karin nearly fainted.

"What?" she asked in a strangled voice. She was much more scared now than she had been any other time that night. The thought of training with Hitsugaya was undoubtedly appealing, but that would require her entering the water, something she didn't think she was mentally capable of doing.

"No, that's ok," she said, shaking her hands. "I don't really…" she trailed off, unable to think of a good excuse.

"Oh, ok," Hitsugaya replied dejectedly, and the crestfallen look on his usually expressionless face nearly broke Karin's heart.

"Wait," she called. "I…I changed my mind." Hitsugaya's face brightened noticeably, and held out a hand to her. Karin mustered up all her courage, and took his hand. It was warmer than she expected it to be, what with the presence of the ice dragon in their midst. They waded into the water, and Hitsugaya clasped his sword in one hand and wrapped his other securely around Karin's waist. She was very aware of his practically naked body at such a close proximity, so much so that she almost forgot her current location; waste deep in the river.

"Take a deep breath," Hitsugaya advised. Karin complied and the two dove into the water as one. They descended deeper and deeper, Hitsugaya directing the ice dragon's movements as he swam around them in increasingly complicated patterns providing them with majestic, if sporadic light. Karin forced her eyes to remain open, not wanting to miss a second of the breathtaking spectacle that surrounded her. Hitsugaya's grip on her waist was firm and secure and, despite the fact that every square inch of her body was submerged in her least favorite medium, she felt safer than she did on dry land.

Eventually, their oxygen supply ran low, and they returned to the surface, treading water as they swallowed deep breaths of cool night air. Hitsugaya looked at Karin. Her face was red with cold and excitement and her eyes were shining with a joy he had never imagined possible. Hitsugaya thought he had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. Karin, what with the impressiveness of the dragon and the light in Hitsugaya's jade eyes, felt the same.

Hitsugaya swung his arm in a wide circle above their heads, and Hyourinmaru spiraled closer and closer to them, eventually creating a cocoon around them that blocked their view of everything else.

"I feel like I'm in an ice cave," Karin said in wonderment. Hyourinmaru was still emitting a soft, blue glow that filled their little cavern with light. She looked at Hitsugaya and beamed at him.

"Thank you for taking me with you," she said softly. Hitsugaya nodded.

"Anytime," he replied. They leaned in simultaneously and Karin closed her eyes against the sensation of Hitsugaya's lips on hers. She threw her arms around him, deepening the kiss, completely forgetting that she was up to her shoulders in water. This, Karin decided, was totally worth entering the water.

The next time her friends wanted to swim in the river, Karin was more than happy to join in.

**I think I'm better at chapter stories than oneshots, but I still kind of like this little incident. I hope it's not too cheesy.**


End file.
